This week’s news includes: Stephanie Mills and The Roots will come alive at Artscape 2026, RWDF announces new structure for Rubys, Washington Opera leaving Kennedy Center, new Maryland Opera initiative, Turner Station celebrated in new CCBC exhibition, Temi Wynston Edun opens at Gallery Blue Door, Central Baltimore Partnership awarded funding from Aspen Institute, Josefina opens in Harbor Point, and renovations announced for France-Merrick Performing Arts Center.
Hip-hop icons the Roots and legendary singer Stephanie Mills to headline Artscape
by Wesley Case
Published January 8 in The Baltimore Banner
Hip-hop band the Roots and R&B singer Stephanie Mills will headline this year’s Artscape festival, Mayor Brandon Scott announced at City Hall on Thursday afternoon.
The Roots will headline on Saturday, May 23, while Mills tops the bill on May 24. More performers, including local artists, will be announced in the future. Organizers also announced Artscape would have two additional side stages to showcase more musicians from the region.
The 42nd edition of Artscape, Baltimore’s largest annual festival, will return to downtown, Scott announced last month.
RWD Foundation Announces New Structure for Rubys Artist Grants
Press Release :: January 8
The Robert W. Deutsch Foundation is excited to announce a reimagined structure for its annual Rubys Artist Grants program, now in its twelfth year. Beginning in 2026, the Rubys will focus on two artistic disciplines each year, with the four disciplines rotating on a two-year cycle. This new alternating structure ensures that all four disciplines will continue to be supported on a regular two-year cycle, while strengthening cohorts, honing support in each field, and continuing to grow opportunities for future, current, and alumni grantees.
The program will continue to support 12-15 artists per year with awards of $15,000 each, as well as one $25,000 alumni award to a previous Rubys recipient. The program will also award two $2,500 microgrants to provide artists early in their projects with mentorship, cohort support, and seed funding to develop a strong proof of concept for future consideration.
Past Rubys recipients have expressed what they value most is the sense of cohort, opportunities to collaborate, and personalized guidance that the program is able to offer. By concentrating each grant cycle on two disciplines, the Rubys can build tighter-knit communities and deliver a richer, more focused set of artist services that allow practitioners in overlapping fields to work together. The redesigned program will include:
· More connected cohorts, fostering collaboration, peer learning, and long-term relationships
· Customized professional development, tailored to the specific needs and career pathways of each discipline
· Expanded mentorship opportunities, offering artists dedicated time with advisors who specialize in their field
· Greater visibility for awardees, with programming, convenings, and showcases centered around the selected disciplines
“Our goal is to create the strongest possible environment for artistic growth,” said Alex Ebstein, Senior Program Manager of the Rubys Artist Grants. “This change allows us to invest more deeply in each artist’s practice and cultivate a cohort experience that is genuinely transformative.”
Supporting more than 200 artists since 2014, the Rubys Artist Grants program remains a vital resource for Baltimore-area artists. Applications for the next cycle—focused on Visual and Performing Arts—will open on February 23, 2026. Full details can be found at https://www.rwdfoundation.org/rubys
Washington National Opera bows out of Kennedy Center
by Lou Kesten and Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press
Published January 10 in The Baltimore Banner
The Washington National Opera announced Friday that it will move performances away from the Kennedy Center in another high-profile departure following President Donald Trump’s takeover of the U.S. capital’s leading performing arts venue.
The opera said it will seek to end its affiliation with the Kennedy Center through an “amicable transition” and will return to operating independently. It cited financial constraints imposed after Trump fired the Kennedy Center’s board and installed allies to oversee it.
The opera will reduce its spring season and move performances to other venues “to ensure fiscal prudence and fulfill its obligations for a balanced budget,” the opera said in a statement.
Maryland Opera starts new initiative – New Voices in Opera
Press Release :: January 13
Maryland Opera’s newest initiative, New Voices in Opera, brings fresh operatic works to the Maryland Opera stage. The evening features a double bill of new works by composers with a connection to our performing community in the greater Baltimore area: Oshun by B.E. Boykin and Kandake by Timothy Amukele, both with librettos by Jarrod Lee. The performance will include a mini recital featuring students from Morgan State University and Towson University performing works by African American composers. The performance will be on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 7:00pm at Grace United Methodist Church on Charles Street in North Baltimore. Tickets are $40. A special educational event, New Voices Discovery, will be held on Sunday, February 22, 6pm-8pm at the Roland Park Community Center. Tickets for this event are $29.
The operas will be presented in a semi-staged format with orchestra and projected images as the backdrop. The operas are in English and English supertitles will be provided.
Oshun tells the story of the gods in the pantheon of the Ifa religion as they seek to bring rain to the lands of their worshippers. Kandake recounts the trials of the one-eyed warrior queen, Amanirenas, as she fights to repel the Romans and protect her people. A pre-performance discussion beginning at 6pm with Yoruba Priestess Oloye Sade Ajala and librettist Jarrod Lee will discuss the origins of the works. All are welcome at the discussion with the purchase of a ticket to the performance.
Following the performance, there will be a Q&A session with the creators and performers moderated by Terry Eberhardt, the Executive Director of The Denyce Graves Foundation.
Joining us is a stellar cast of local artists including soprano Jouelle Roberson as Oshun, Daniel J. Smith as Shango, Anthony Ballard as Esu and Prince Akinidad, Christian Simmons as Olodumare and Kushite 2, and Taylor Boykins as Kandake Amanirenas.
Shared stage direction is by Maryland Opera’s Director of New Voices, Jarrod Lee, with choreographer Shawna Williams. Musical direction is by conductor and Baltimore School for the Arts teacher Anoa Green and Maryland Opera’s Artistic Director James Harp.
University students participating in the mini recital will also have master class opportunities during the rehearsal process with composer Timothy Amukele and UIA talent agency Vice President Shawn Marie Jeffrey.
“What’s more operatic than the God of Love saving the world or a one-eyed warrior queen who stood up for her people against oppression? Not much,” said Jarrod Lee, Maryland Opera’s Director of New Voices. “The stories of Oshun and Kandake are old, yet still resonate with our lives today. Both of these powerful women show us how to find the courage to be the change we want to see in real time. It is a thrill to bring these old stories to life in the form of new operas. With a stellar cast drawn from Maryland, DC, and the Greater Baltimore community, Maryland Opera is always working to connect with new audiences. Like gods and queens, together we can make change and we can free the people!”
Tickets are $40 and are available on Maryland Opera’s website, marylandopera.org, or by calling 484-678-6041. Student tickets are available for $20. Seating is limited so advance orders are recommended. Free parking is available in the Grace Church parking lot.
The New Voices Discovery event on February 22nd will act as the perfect lead up to the performance. Librettist Jarrod Lee will share his inspirations for setting these beautiful stories as operas. Peter Wood, owner of the Spirit Shop on Falls Road, will serve craft cocktails inspired by the stories and music. Light fare will be available while a display of concept designs for the projections to be used in the performance is shared. Following these discussions, Anthony Ballard and Christian Simmons with James Harp at the piano will perform excerpts from the operas and answer audience questions.
CCBC Dundalk gallery exhibit celebrates legacy of Turner Station
Press Release :: January 14
Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is celebrating the legacy of Turner Station, one of Maryland’s few remaining historically African American communities, with a new gallery exhibit featuring artifacts from the neighborhood and a timeline of its history and cultural significance. A reception honoring the community’s rich history will be held from 5 – 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, in the lobby of the Alvin and Mary Lloyd College Center, CCBC Dundalk, 7200 Sollers Point Road. The event features a keynote from U. S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a former Turner Station resident, along with remarks from U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski. The presentation begins at 6 p.m.
The exhibit at CCBC Dundalk—just a short drive from the Turner Station neighborhood in Baltimore County—is a collaboration between the Galleries at CCBC and the Turner Station Conservation Teams. Curated by historian Michelle Wright, CCBC assistant professor of history and Africana studies, the exhibit showcases a timeline of notable moments in Turner Station history as well as detailed information on four Turner Station natives: Congressman Mfume; Henrietta Lacks, subject of the bestseller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; Calvin Hill, former NFL star and father of NBA player Grant Hill; and Dr. Joseph Henry Thomas, a prominent community physician and entrepreneur. Dr. Thomas and his father, Anthony, were noted African American businessmen and the first major developers for the community. Dr. Thomas owned and operated the popular commercial and recreational area known as Edgewater Beach (1929 -1941).
Artifacts on display, on loan from the Turner Station History Center, include pieces of the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed tragically in 2024. The majority of Turner Station’s residents worked at the Bethlehem Steel mill, the local plant where the bridge’s steel was fabricated in the 1970s. The exhibit also includes the law enforcement badge and retirement paperwork from Francis Jackson, one of the first African American police officers to patrol the community, as well as a spotlight on Henrietta Lacks. Attendees will receive a reproduction newspaper compiling articles and advertisements about Turner Station dating back to the 1880s.
Since 2011, the Turner Station History Center has collected artifacts, documents, and photographs to preserve the community’s story. The Galleries at CCBC are part of the School of Arts and Communication, with locations at the college’s three main campuses in Catonsville, Dundalk and Essex. The Turner Station exhibit at the Dundalk Community Gallery will run through April 17. The gallery hours vary by day: Monday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is closed Thursday through Sunday. For the most updated hours and events, check the website.
According to the Turner Station History Center, the community draws its name from J.M. Turner, who owned farmland there in the late 1800s. When the Pittsburgh Steel Company built a plant on the land known as Sparrows Point in the 1880s, the Sparrows Point Rail Company erected a train station on the site, calling it Turner Station. The neighborhood began to flourish when African Americans moved to the area to work at the Sparrows Point steel mill as demand for steel exploded during World War I, according to the Dundalk Historical Society. Turner Station’s population peaked at almost 9,000 residents in the 1950s. By 1970, the population of Turner Station declined to approximately 5,000, with many adverse effects on the community. Organized in 2003, the Turner Station Conservation Teams Inc. has played a vital role in strengthening and revitalizing the Turner Station community.
“CCBC’s commitment to the communities we serve includes raising awareness of their rich histories,” said CCBC President Sandra Kurtinitis. “We’re grateful to the Turner Station History Center and the area’s current and former residents for trusting our college with their precious stories and beloved artifacts.”
First solo U.S. exhibition for Columbia-based artist to open at Gallery Blue Door
by Aliza Worthington
Published January 13 in Baltimore Fishbowl
A new exhibition by artist Temi Wynston Edun opens on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Gallery Blue Door in Baltimore. “Within Reach of Silence” is Edun’s first solo United States exhibition and will be on view through April 18, 2026.
Edun’s exhibition attempts to induce stillness and reflection in a world saturated with noise and distraction. “Within Reach of Silence” presents 18 works that reveal a world where presence and absence are not mutually exclusive. Portraits are tactile and layered, infused with generational trauma, ancestral knowledge, cultural memory, and hopes that speak louder than words.
Aspen Institute Awards Central Baltimore Partnership $225,000 to Fund Community Microgrants
Press Release :: January 14
Central Baltimore Partnership (CBP) is kicking off the New Year with new funding. The nonprofit was selected as one of 25 Community Host organizations nationwide for the 2026 Weaver Awards, an initiative of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. Each Community Host receives $225,000 in startup funding for community microgrants, along with training, tools, technical assistance, and ongoing support from Weave. The Weaver Awards are designed to celebrate and support everyday neighbors who are building relationships, strengthening belonging, and weaving trust into the social fabric of their communities. The first cycle of the awards will be launched this fall.
“While loneliness, isolation, and division seem to define our national story, our 25 Community Hosts show us another truth: that trust grows when neighbors show up for one another, build relationships, and work together,” said Frederick J. Riley, Executive Director of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. “Each organization is already deeply woven into the life of its community, and by going even deeper, they’re proving that a culture of belonging isn’t just possible, it’s already taking hold, block by block.”
As a Community Host, CBP will build a culture of weaving in Central Baltimore by:
● Identifying local weavers and sharing their stories with our community
● Launching a local Weaver Awards program, distributing 20+ microgrants each year for four years to individuals and small nonprofits
● Convening gatherings that bring people together and help them learn the skills of weaving
● Joining a national network of local leaders rebuilding trust in communities across the U.S.
“We’re honored to be chosen for this opportunity, as the partnership represents the Aspen Institute’s belief in our city’s existing strength, creativity, and leadership, realized with a multi-year commitment,” said Ashley Wallace, Executive Director of the Central Baltimore Partnership. “With this added funding, CBP can continue to support the quiet leaders in our community so they can keep up the meaningful work they’re already doing. We’ll share more information in the months ahead, including details on how residents and local businesses can apply or nominate someone for a Weaver Award.”
Alma Cocina Latina’s former head chef bets it all on his dream restaurant
by Matti Gellman
Published January 8
Two years ago, chef David Zamudio walked out of Alma Cocina Latina in Station North and never looked back.
He left the Venezuelan restaurant with a budding reputation. Less than a month after he departed his job as executive chef there, he was named in January 2024 as a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards, largely considered the highest honor in the culinary industry. In August of that year, he sued his old employers, whom the native Venezuelan had spent five years working for and had sponsored his O-1 visa, an exclusive and expensive document reserved for gifted individuals.
“That [time] was the start of this restaurant,” he said, sitting at a long, carefully decorated white table in his Harbor Point Spanish eatery, less than 48 hours from its soft opening Wednesday.
Major renovations could be on the horizon for Baltimore’s France-Merrick Performing Arts Center; a prominent New York architect has been selected to help provide a blueprint
by Ed Gunts
Published January 14 in Baltimore Fishbowl
Baltimore’s France-Merrick Performing Arts Center draws more than 300,000 people a year to a wide range of events. Its centerpiece, the historic Hippodrome Theatre, boasts more than 12,000 subscribers for its annual series of traveling Broadway productions and even serves as the launching pad for some of them.
All that use has taken a toll on the four-building, state-owned facility at 12 N. Eutaw St., which hasn’t had a comprehensive renovation since it reopened in 2004 as Baltimore’s home for traveling Broadway shows. But that may soon change.
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